The Scalpel's Edge

Dr. Lydia Weston must clear the name of a woman surgeon embroiled in an ever-deepening medical scandal, set against the backdrop of the 1876 World’s Fair, in this riveting next book from the author of Murder by Degrees.

It is 1876 and the World’s Fair has come to Philadelphia. People stream into the city to see this wondrous spectacle, a place for innovation in all its forms.

But some are left out. Dr. Lydia Weston is a pioneering doctor at Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania. She and her colleagues long to showcase what they are capable of, in a world where their skill is met with suspicion.

Soon an opportunity arises. A talented surgeon, Dr. Clara Hall, is invited to present an exhibition, a surgical procedure that showcases the use of anesthesia. An audience gathers to watch, and all eyes are on Clara and her scalpel.

But when the operation goes terribly wrong, Lydia finds herself at the center of a controversy surrounding the death of a patient—Arthur Carlson, a prominent businessman whose ruthless dealings have made him many enemies.

With the help of Inspector Thomas Volcker and Sergeant Charles Davies, Lydia joins the police investigation to clear her friend’s name, stopping at nothing to reveal the dark and powerful forces responsible for Carlson’s murder.

Culminating in a thrilling chase through the fairgrounds at night, The Scalpel’s Edge is historical mystery at its finest.